AA,BA

AA,BA is a proposed information, material and labor-sharing network that utilizes the existing institutional and social services resources of within the City and County of Los Angeles to create public art that meets the humanitarian needs of the homeless.

Building upon targeted fieldwork and rigorous charrette-type public planning initiatives, AA,BA aims to provide real-world, pragmatic and data-driven solutions to pressing needs such as electricity, secure storage and running water, within medium-scale works (up to 10′ x 10′ 10′), constructed of readily-available recycled or re-purposed materials, either gathered or donated by volunteer and business affiliates. The organization shall orchestrate the design and construction process, by bringing together emerging and established professionals, utilizing the facilities and software licenses of local universities to enable flexible collaborations that can come together to meet needs as they arise and in real-time. This process allows students and young designers to gain meaningful work experience while tackling pressing social issues, while at the same time allowing mid- to late-career architects and engineers to donate their time and expertise to a useful cause, without being fettered by the administrative and time-management hurdles that normally make such philanthropic efforts difficult or impossible. AA,BA will also orchestrate the sustainable maintenance and operation of its sites, in partnership with experienced government and non-profit agencies, with the goal of ultimately turning ownership of all that is produced to qualified stewards.

AA,BA was being developed as a proposal for the 2016 Los Angeles Mayor’s Cup, commissioned by QASTIC. HAHA provided project management services for this proposal, with the intent of eventually stewarding the organization’s humanitarian efforts. After mutual agreement, HAHA elected to continue pursuit of the proposal independently.